County Kerry

Kerry is more than a mere county – it’s a Kingdom

Ring of Kerry, Derrynane Bay

You may have heard of Kerry. Since Queen Victoria visited Killarney over 150 years ago, its mountains, lakes and coasts have been the picture-postcard image of Ireland overseas. And while visitors may argue about their favorite towns, everyone genuflects to the perfection that is the Kerry landscape.

It’s just drop-dead gorgeous.

Killarney Lakes

Where to begin? Killarney National Park, that’s where. Nestling between Killarney and Kenmare, this little pocket harbors the 19th-century Muckross House (where Queen Victoria stayed), Ireland’s highest mountain in Carrauntoohil and the glorious Lough Leane. It’s also privy to a reintroduced population of white-tailed eagles. And all within a patch of land measuring just 15 square miles.

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From there, choices unfold like the pages of a fantasy novel. You can let your trip be governed by peninsulas like Dingle or Beara in next door West Cork, or by touring routes such as the Ring of Kerry. You can hit festivals like Puck Fair, presided over by a goat-king, or walk the Kerry Way.

Nobody’s fully sure as to why Kerry is called “The Kingdom”, but the hat certainly fits.

A royal welcome

After all, this is a Kingdom where monks built crazy beautiful beehive huts on Skellig Michael. It’s home to the legendary Ring of Kerry, a 110 mile touring route that evokes scenes from the Lost World to Lord of the Rings – with rather a lot of gorse and green fields along the way.

County Kerry is home to some of Ireland’s finest golf courses, with Ballybunion in the North, Waterville to the south and Killarney in between! Home of Tom Crean, famous for his Antarctic exploits with Scott and Shackleton. It housed Daniel O’Connell, Ireland’s Great Liberator, too. Tom Crean’s pub is still serving Endurance burgers in Annascaul. Daniel O’Connell’s home is on view in Derrynane.

The heirs in waiting

As well as the big hits, there are hidden gems. You’ve heard of Dingle – home to Ryan’s Daughter and Fungie the dolphin. But did you know that every December, some of the biggest names in music make the pilgrimage to St James’s Church to play stripped-back sets at the Other Voices gathering? Amy Winehouse, Steve Earle and Snow Patrol have all performed there.

Or what about north Kerry? As well as surfing along the Atlantic coast, you’ll find the brand new Tralee Bay Wetlands Centre anchoring a nature reserve stretching right over to the wild Magharee Islands.

Oh, and you’ll also find a writers’ museum in Listowel. It celebrates a place “where it is easier to write than not to write”, as Kerry author John B Keane liked to put it.

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